Birds have been popular pets for many years. Recently, the popularity of more exotic species of birds such as parrots macaws, cock-a-tiels, and other tropical birds has greatly increased. Such exotic birds represent a significant investment for their owners, with some species costing several thousands of dollars, not to mention the sentimental attachment of the birds as pets. These birds are also often very skittish or easily spooked around unfamiliar persons, which can cause them to react defensively. Since parrots, macaws, and other large tropical birds have very strong beaks that can sever or crush a person's fingers or hands, there is a significant risk of injury to those around the birds. Accordingly, to protect the investment in the birds and for the safety and health of the birds and those around them, most bird owners typically keep their birds in large cages or enclosures.
The problem with most conventional bird cages is, however, that to clean the feeding area or change the food and water in most cages, the main door of the cage must be opened and the attendant must reach inside the cage for the bowls for cleaning and refilling. With the door open, there is a danger that the bird can, of course, escape.. Further, while the bird's owner may be experienced with handling the bird and may be able to reach into the cage with relative safety and a minimal risk of being bitten by the bird, there can be a serious risk of injury to a novice or one with whom the bird is unfamiliar reaching into the cage and manipulating the bird's food and water receptacles.
Most birds typically are somewhat messy when eating and have a tendency to drop food or other matter, including feces, in their food and water receptacle and they also tend to mix the food and water. As a result, the food and water receptacles of birds often become contaminated. Many of these tropical species of birds have very delicate digestive systems and are highly sensitive to diseases and illnesses resulting from contaminated food or water. The food and water dishes of the cages thus must be monitored and cleaned constantly to prevent the birds from eating or drinking contaminated water or food and becoming sick. Constant attention, therefore is required for the proper care of the birds, which care cannot normally be delegated to friends or other family members not familiar with the care and handling of birds such as parrots, macaws, or other large birds. Bird owners typically are limited in travel and other activities as a result, as it is often difficult to find competent persons to care for their birds properly, and there is always a danger of the birds escaping or otherwise injuring the person caring for them if the person must open the cage and/or reach inside the cage to clean the cage or change the food and water of the birds.
Feeders have been developed for the care and feeding of animals such as birds, which are generally mounted to a side wall of the cage and which enable access to the food and water of the birds from the outside of the cage. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,121 of Daily shows a typical bird cage with a food tray that snaps into an opening in a side wall of the cage. Further, French Patent Nos. 667,570 of Louchet and 1,239,971 of Schneebalg disclose pivoting feeder assemblies for cages which are mounted to a side wall of a cage and which can be pivoted into and out of the interior of the cage to enable the feeder to be refilled. The problem with such devices appears to be that while the feeder can be pivoted into or out of the cage for refilling, these feeders open to the interior of the cage and are therefore easily contaminated and cannot be easily removed from the cage itself for easy and complete cleaning. As stated above, birds such as parrots, macaws, and other tropical species generally have very delicate digestive systems and therefore it is imperative that the food and water receptacles of the cage be thoroughly cleaned.
Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 1,900,868 discloses an animal feeder comprising a box or similar structure mounted externally of the animal cage, forming a tunnel or channel having a food bowl at one end and having a series of swinging doors that can be manipulated to close off the box from the interior of the cage and another door which can be opened to expose the food bowl for refilling and cleaning. The problem with such a feeder is that while small four-legged animals can easily move along the tunnel or passage formed by the box to reach the food bowl, birds, especially large tropical birds such as parrots and macaws, cannot easily move along this passage and indeed generally will not move into or along a tunnel. Further, there is no way to see exactly where the animal is inside the feeder box, and thus lowering the inner trap door could injure the animal if it is in the feeder box at the time the box is being opened for refilling and cleaning the food bowls. Finally, the device is relatively more complex to use than the current invention in that it involves several hinged doors, and requires several sequential manipulations to properly isolate the caged animal, any of the manipulations which, if executed out of proper sequence, could permit animal escape or injury.
Accordingly, it can be seen that a need exists for a feeder assembly for a bird cage for housing large tropical birds such as parrots, macaws, and the like which enables quick and easy access to the food and water receptacles of the feeder assembly from outside of the bird cage so that the main cage door need not be opened, to enable the quick and easy cleaning of the food and water bowls without danger of the birds escaping from the cage and with a minimal risk of injury to the attendant by the birds and to the birds themselves when changing the food and water.